travel,photography,sewing, machine embroidery,knitting & the mumblings of a mad woman.

Saturday, January 9, 2010

Blankie, a Free sewing Project

Our second child had a "Blankie"-he took it everywhere & I can only be thankful that it was only bassinet size, as in my years as a pediatric nurse I saw kids toting all manner of things, even full size single bed blankets, their mother's nighties & even one child had the bits you pulled off the band aid!

Babies & children are very tactile & so I've made this little "Blankie" in honour of my No 2 son as that's what he called his. My adaptation of the security blanket is a lot smaller & more manageable to carry around.

My daughter, whose friends are now having babies, love these little "Blankies" & I would suggest if giving as a gift to make 2 or even 3. One for home, one for the car & one for the Grand Parent's house- there will be no dramas if one gets lost or left behind!

They are quick to make & I make them up 6 at a time-they use up those smaller bits of fabric & all those ribbons you have in stash.

BLANKIE

What you need

Paper or stabilizer to draw your pattern on. Pen or pencil.

2 pieces of fabric 30cm x 30cm ( 12")- one a satin or silky fabric the other minky or polar fleece (make sure they are washable)

Assorted ribbons 20 pieces x 7.5cm (3"). Vary your widths & textures.

sewing machine & thread

Note on fabric & ribbon choices:

Lingerie fabric & minky or polar fleeceare a good choice- both are washable & readily available.

Ribbons- largest width should be no more than 4 cm (1.5") & only 1 or 2 at this width & the narrowest is 10 mm. Have all sorts of textures & colours-as long as they are washable, they will be OK. Ribbon with wire edging should have the wires removed before using. Coloured cotton tapes work as well. Textured nylon ribbons are another good choice.

No little bits that can come off, like pom poms.

Have 20 different ribbons for maximum sensations for the baby.

Let's Get To It:

Draw a square 30cm x 30cm (12").Use your paper or stabilizer, whichever you have on hand. Cut this out.

Now measure in 1cm (7/8") around all the 4 sides- seam allowance.

Fold the pattern in half, finger press, do it in both directions & place a mark with pen where these folds are.

Measure 4.5cm (1.75") either side of the centre marking, then again from those 2 markings- you should have 5 marks along the seam line- do this on all sides.

These are the ribbon placement marks.

Cut out your minky & satin fabric using the pattern you have just drawn- 1 square of each fabric.

Take the ribbons & fold in half, matching the cut edges of the ribbon to the cut edge of the fabric on the right side & using the pattern markings as your guide, pin the ribbon to the fabric, centering ribbon-if you put a wider ribbon on an end, then use a narrower ribbon on the next side which will be the closest to it.

Repeat until all ribbons pinned on.

Stitch around all 4 sides within seam allowance. Stitch again close to the first stitching- or even on top of it. Its important that the ribbons can not be pulled out.

Lay the minky/polar fleece right sides together to the satin fabric & pin all round- place 2 pins together about 9cm (3.5") to remind you to leave a gap for turning. Stitch together using a 1cm seam allowance (7/8")

Trim corners. Turn to right side. Push out the corners. Pin opening closed. Stitch around outer edge, close to seam edged using a 3.5 stitch length. Repeat stitching approx. 1cm (7/8") from first stitching.

Admire your Hany Work!

When I sew 6 at once I chain piece each side- clip apart, then do the next side- as you do in quilting.

You could embroider on the Blankie, if you like- but remember that will change the "feel" of the Blankie & another may not be able to be substituted unless you use the same design!

These are great little sellers if you have a market stall, great for baby showers & to pop in with another gift!Please leave a comment if you enjoy my projects, so I know that someone is reading them!

Horatio Bear

Frangipani

About Me

I live in Sydney Australia & have done all my life. Married with 5 grown children & 1 grandson and a grand daughter.There is a MOTH around as well- (man of the house).
I have been sewing & knitting for as long as I can remember,travelling the world the past 14 years & still have more to see! Photography has always been an interest but is now more of a hobby since digital came along-its very difficult to take a bad picture these days!(as long as you focus first). Mostly this blog is about what I get up to & truly the mumblings of a mad woman!